Across the Pond
by Mary Jane Rottencrotch
Summary: Rupert Finch has, much to his annoyance, ended up at Bullworth for his final year of education. Zoe Taylor, lifelong Bullworth resident, has begun to give up on life. Contains swearing, violence and sexual references.
1. The Ambush

Some people are suited to being the 'new kid' - actors and sluts relish the attention that is associated with being fresh meat. Rupert Finch, or 'Finchy', as he had been known most of his life, was not one of those people. As the taxi pulled up outside Bullworth Academy, reluctance swept over Rupert's body as the nervousness swallowed him. He hated America. Everyone had weird accents, and it took so long to get from one town to another - mainly, he hated how… how alien it all felt. This wasn't his home; he belonged in England, where everything was small and familiar and comfortable. He knew where he stood in the social pecking order in school, and he had a solid set of friends. Now he would have to start all over again.

'Hey Kid, your dad said this is your stop.' The taxi driver's voice brought Rupert back into reality.

'Yeah, it is. Guess I better get this over with.' Rupert replied, and got out of the yellow vehicle.

Rupert walked through the Gothic archway to the sound of the taxi, from which he had just emerged, speeding away. With his only method of escape removed, he pulled out the map which his father had shoved in his coat pocket a few hours ago.

'He said there'd be someone waiting for me. Oh well, guess I better go to the office.'

Ten minutes later, after a stern warning from the Headteacher, which seemed to revolve around the cleanliness of his nose, Rupert left the main building in search of the Boys Dorm. A cold and professional looking women had shoved a plastic bag containing his new uniform and ordered him to go change - to Rupert's surprise it contained a shirt and jumper (TV had led him to believe American schools didn't have uniforms). Then again, judging by the headteacher this school looked like it was stuck in the 19th century. Rupert had arrived at 1:30, meaning all the students were in lessons, allowing him to make his way to the Boys Dorm without any confrontation. When he opened the door to the dorm, however, he found that he wasn't alone.

'Change the channel, buttmunch.'

'You change it dickweed.'

'I'll kick your ass!'

Rupert could identify two voices, one female and one male, coming from a small room ahead of him - now he could hear the sounds of two people wrestling. Despite his initial instincts to go straight to his room, curiosity got the better of him. When since did girls willingly go into a Boys Dorm?

'Don't you two have lessons to go to?' Rupert said without thinking. He cursed himself quietly for dropping himself in it.

'Hey, get off Jimmy, we've got company!' A tall and busty ginger girl wriggled herself free from a shorter boys headlock. They both stood up and turned their attention to Rupert, who was standing by the door, feeling awkward from the attention. The ginger girl was gorgeous, wearing a tight white top and a checkered orange skirt with heavy black boots. If all the girls looked like that, Rupert thought with a wry smile, he would have very little problem in settling in. The smaller boy had next to no hair, a scruffy uniform and a muscular body. Probably best to not annoy 'Jimmy', short men are always the most aggressive, Rupert decided.

'You're new.' The boy stated. 'What's your name, new kid?'

'Rupert. Most people call me Finchy though.' Rupert replied.

'Aww shit, we've got another one!' The girl exclaimed, rolling her eyes in disgust. She then turned to sit down on the sofa and changed the channel.

'That's all we needed, another preppy bastard.' The boy said, before pointing to the door 'Harrington House is that way.'

Rupert had no idea what a 'preppy bastard' was, and what was that about Harrington House?

'What's a Preppy bastard?' he asked.

'Inbred rich kids who think they rule the world. Only preps talk in a fake English accent like you', the girl stated, with boredom in her voice.

'I speak in an English accent because I am English, and I'm definitely not rich.' Rupert said, trying to clear the confusion. He was still unsure about who the Preps were, but it was clear he didn't want to be associated with them. This seemed to respark their interest. The boy turned around and met Rupert's gaze.

'Oh, that's cool then. Pretty sure you're the only English kid here. The name's Jimmy. What did you say yours was again?'

'Finchy.' Rupert repeated. Nobody called him Rupert anyway, and he hated the name.

'Well, have fun being the new kid. A little bit of advice; keeping yourself to yourself is fine but if somebody messes with you, don't just sit there and take it. Otherwise you'll be a victim for the rest of your time here.' Jimmy spoke with authority. He turned to his female friend 'Ain't you gunna say hi to the new kid Zoe?'.

'Just because you boss everyone else around doesn't mean you can tell me what to do.' Zoe said, in a half teasing, half serious tone.

'Yeah I pretty much can. Stop acting cool in front of the new kid, Zoe, you know you do everything I command.' Jimmy had barely finished speaking before Zoe had leapt on him, tackling him to the ground. Rupert decided this was a good time to leave, and made his way to his dorm, with the sounds of play fighting going on in the background. The key he had been given was marked '16' and he found his room at the far end of the corridor. It opened to reveal a double room, though his roommate was nowhere to be seen.

Settling his bags down on what he assumed to be his side of the dorm, Rupert crashed down onto his bed. He could already tell this was going to be a long day. He'd never had to share a room before - he was an only child after all. The nerves, mixed in with the culture shock and the dread of his first confrontation had taken their toll, and he took out a cigarette, opened a window, and lit up.

* * *

Rupert had only taken two puffs from his cigarette when he heard the doorknob turning. Expecting the worst, he dropped it out of the window and made for his bed, attempting to act casual. The door opened and in stepped a short, rather timid looking boy, wearing a blue vest on a pink shirt. Rupert immediately decided he was no threat, but kept his attention on him, just in case.

'Hi, I'm Pete… I guess you're the new kid, Jimmy mentioned you.' The boy said, offering a handshake. Rupert accepted the handshake; it was weak and awkward, as if the boy didn't actually expect him to shake his hand.

'Have you been smoking in here?' Petey asked, after noticing the smell that was lingering in the room.

'Err, yeah, sorry about that. I'm Finchy, by the way.' Rupert replied, feeling embarrassed that he didn't just go outside. 'I didn't expect anyone back until half three.'

'Finchy? I thought your name was Rupert?' Pete asked, seeming a little confused. 'Guess there are two new kids coming today.' Rupert was knocked slightly off guard upon learning that this kid knew his real name. With curiosity in his voice, he explained how his full name was Rupert Finch, and questioned how he knew that.

'Oh, I'm Head Boy, I read up on all students who come here.' Petey explained, and moved to get something out of his drawer. He produced a small leatherbound book and passed it to Rupert, saying 'This has all of your class times in, as well as a map of the school grounds and numbers to ring if you need help'. Pete then made his way to the door, and just before leaving, added 'I've got a meeting with the headteacher now, but if you want a tour of the grounds let me know. Anyway, see you later Rupert.'

'It's Finchy.' Rupert corrected, but Petey had already shut the door. He sighed, and turned to sit down on his bed, observing the book he had just been given. He was shocked that a boy so scrawny and timid had managed to become Head Boy, but was glad his roommate wasn't somebody who could beat the crap out of him for hogging the shower. 'Wait a minute, where even is the shower?'. He looked around but saw no en suite. He flipped through the book he had been given and checked the map but there was no sign of any shower facilities. He made a mental note to ask Peter about it later.

Rupert was in two minds on what to do next. He could hear students outside and after inspecting his watch, he found that it was now 3:45 - time seemed to fly by at Bullworth. He pulled out his phone, checking if there was any wifi (unsurprisingly, there wasn't), before resorting to use his precious 3G data to message his friends. He opened his texts, and sent a message to the group inbox he and his old friends use to chat, usually about which pubs let in underagers and 'rating' the single girls at school. He laughed out loud at the messages he received.

'Alright lads. This place doesn't seem to have any showers and my roommate wears pink shirts. There are girls in the Boys Dorm. HELP.'

'Ha! Typical Finchy to get scared of girls.'

'I wasn't scared of your mum last night.'

'Err my mum was on the other side of the Atlantic to you last night so go fuck yourself.'

'Finchy it sounds like you and the pink shirted boy are a match made in heaven;)'

Rupert smiled at the pointless babble he and his friends were once again spewing. He sent a final message and then headed for the door.

'Need a piss and a fag so I'm off out now. Try not to miss me too much losers.'

He had a simple plan in mind; to find Jimmy, Zoe or Peter, or any kid that didn't look threatening, and ask for directions to the nearest toilet. Then he'd find a quiet area to have a cigarette and maybe explore the grounds a little. He had a feeling that he'd end up running into some sort of confrontation, but he rationalised that he couldn't hide in his dorm forever and he wanted some fresh air. After quickly getting changed into his uniform, and with first day nerves still very much present, he opened his dorm door and stepped out into the hallway.

Instantly, he regretted his decision. Boys in white polo shirts were intimidating a fat sweaty looking kid, before a vial glass broke, emitting one of the worst odours Rupert had ever smelt. Gagging from the stench of hyperconcentrated b.o, he suddenly realised the most worrying thing about the situation; kids were walking past and not even giving it a second glance. Was this… was this normal in this godforsaken place? Standing still at the end of the corridor would make him vulnerable, so Rupert walked with a quick pace past the pandemonium and outside the door. Once outside, he caught the attention of an oddly dressed boy, wearing a leather jacket and sporting greased back hair. Rupert had always thought that the 50s style look was cool, but had never heard of somebody actually recreating it outside of a fancy dress party or Halloween.

'Eyy, whatta we 'ave 'ere, a new kid?!' The boy squared up to Rupert. He was big, maybe 6'2", which made him a touch taller than Rupert. Both boys immediately adopted a fighting position.

'Listen mate, I don't want any trouble…' Rupert was cut short with a swift punch to the gut. Winded and shocked from the random violence, he protected himself as best he could and waited for the inevitable.

'Ricky you greasy fuck, what have I said about bullying people who don't deserve it?' Rupert, who had slightly recovered from the initial attack, stood up, trying to see who his knight in shining armour was.

'Why don't you take your sorry ass back to the tenements and go have a cry about your ex?' Rupert recognised the boy, it was that Jimmy kid from earlier. Seems he had misjudged him after all.

'Jimmy, since when did you protect rich turds?' Ricky protested. Rupert was shocked that he didn't just start fighting Jimmy - he was about twice his size.

'He isn't a prep, he's just English so he sounds that way, you idiot. If you had stopped to think about it for a second you'd of realised. Look at his uniform! And he's coming out of the Boy's Dorm. When was the last time you saw a prep coming out of the Boy's Dorm?' Jimmy had said this all to Ricky as if he was the boss of him. Rupert knew better than to ask questions, but curiosity was getting the better of him. Ricky then shot a look back to Rupert, mumbled an apology, and walked away, turning right and leaving through the school gates.

'You alright, Finchy?' Jimmy asked, approaching Rupert who was dusting himself off.

'Confused as hell, but yeah, I'm fine.' Rupert replied. Jimmy laughed, and gestured his hand towards the pathway, 'Come on, I'll take you on a tour'. Rupert knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, and the two began to walk towards the main building. 'So this is the main building, that's where all of your lessons will be, apart from Gym and Shop class. Not that much to see inside, you'll get the idea tomorrow when you start lessons.' All around them kids were eyeing Rupert up like a lion eyes an antelope, but the presence of Jimmy made them keep their distance.

'Jimmy I've got to ask, what the fuck is going on in this place? I've seen rough schools before, but this place is like a boxing academy. And what the hell is a prep?!' Jimmy laughed at the question, and took a seat on a nearby bench, inviting Rupert to join him.

'Alright man, every new kid has to learn this, so listen up. There are 6 cliques at this place. The Bullies are the lowest; they're white shirted idiots who pick on anyone and everyone they can. You shouldn't have to worry about them too much, but if you ever see their leader, Russell, run.' Jimmy warned and let out a laugh.

'What does this Russell guy look like?' Rupert asked, making a mental note to take Jimmy's advice.

'He's about 8 feet tall and has red hair. You can't really miss him. Anyways, the Bullies aren't really a problem. The Preps are inbred trust fund turds who wear blue checkered jumpered. They talk like you, but they're all American... nobody really knows why they do that. They have their own separate dorm, Harrington House, so you probably won't see too much of them.'

'Maybe I should spray paint my net worth on all the walls to let people know I'm not one of them then.' Rupert joked. Trust him to have the luck of being associated with posh kids just because of his accent. Jimmy laughed and carried on his lecture.

'Ha, yeah, maybe. Or just give it a few weeks and everyone will know you're English and not a Prep. Now the people you have to worry about are the Greasers, sworn enemies of the Preps. They wear leather jackets and prefer being around bikes than girls. You just had a run in with one of their older members, Ricky. Best to avoid them until everyone knows you're not a Prep. They can fight pretty well. They hang out around the Auto Shop.' Jimmy spoke as if he'd given this talk many times before.

'Then, we have the Jocks and the Nerds. Also sworn enemies. The Jocks are athletes with a couple of brain cells between them. The nerds are fat, scrawny or just plain ugly, but they all have perfect grade point averages and are all set to go to Harvard. Avoid the Jocks and the Nerds.' Jimmy warned.

'The nerds sound pretty harmless.' Rupert assumed, earning a laugh from Jimmy.

'That's what I said! They're slippery and have loads of gadgets - avoid annoying them.' Jimmy finished. 'That's that really. If they're not a member of any of those cliques then they're not even worth thinking about.' Jimmy stood up, looking ready to leave. 'Anyway, you'll probably see me around. Remember, watch out for the Greasers.' He disappeared around the corner, leaving as soon as he came.

Rupert had a million questions he wanted to ask, but most of all, he wanted everything to just slow down. It seemed everyone at Bullworth was either in a huge rush, on stimulating drugs or both. No conversation lasted longer 2 minutes and everybody was on the move constantly. Who was Jimmy? How did he get such a huge reputation that he could talk down to that Ricky kid and make him cower? Why weren't the staff at this school doing something about the violent student gangs? He was so lost in thought whilst sat on the bench that he ignored his surroundings - luckily, he was being left alone, barring a few confused stares and whispers. Perhaps it was that he had just been with Jimmy that people were leaving him alone? Standing up, he began to walk in the direction Jimmy had left in, with the vague aim of finding a toilet and somewhere to smoke.

Maybe he had been exaggerating the violence at this school. Yes, a random person had punched him for no reason, but all schools have nutjobs, boarding schools especially. Stink bombs and bullying are to be expected in an unsupervised boys only dorm. He had heard a few stories about Bullworth when he mentioned that he was being sent here, but they were probably just tales. I mean, he hadn't seen any actual full on fighting yet - the Greaser boy from earlier punched him in the stomach rather than the face. Still lost in thought, he was just passing a car park when, from out of nowhere, four boys emerged from various hiding spots screaming and shouting swear words and insults. A boy dragged and threw him up against a concrete corner, leaving him surrounded by 4 teenagers, all wearing white polo tops.

'Get the new kid, beat him down!'

In a second a million thoughts ran through his mind. He'd seen enough prison documentaries to know that if he sets a precedent of being a victim he'll remain a victim. He knew how to fight, but had next to no chance of winning a 4 on 1. In an instant, he made his move.

Taking the initiative, he singled out an ugly ginger boy with a straight left hand to the face - the ginger boy blocked it, exposing the left side of his face. Quickly taking his chance, Rupert put all of his body weight into a right hook to the head, flooring his opponent. Although he had been quick he had still left enough time for the remaining three boys to completely surround him - they all leapt onto Rupert punching and kicking him from every angle, and he soon fell to the ground, adopting a fetal position to protect himself. He endured a fews seconds of cheap shots to his body and legs before he violently jerked his leg upwards, catching one of his assailants between the legs - the boy keeled over in agony, and Rupert seized the opportunity to get back up and resume fighting.

He was now fully enraged and with the added boost of adrenaline he was an even match for the two remaining boys. The Bullies circled him, holding their guards high - they knew they were now on the back foot. Rupert let out a battle cry and charged at one of the remaining opponents, rugby tackling him to the ground and punching his face into the dirt. He had lost all self control by this point and continued to assault the floored bully until he was violently dragged off by somebody from behind and thrown to the ground. Assuming it was the one remaining Bully, he bit into the leg of his captor to break free from his grasp. Standing up, he saw the blue of a prefect rather than the white of a bully. His body froze for a split second before doing what any sane person would when they had just bitten a huge prefect; he ran. Darting through the car park, he spotted a dirt track which he escaped down. The fear and adrenaline allowed him to run longer and faster than he thought his smoker's lungs could accommodate.

After 2 minutes of non stop sprinting he slowed to a walk. His pursuer had long since given up, but he had no idea what was waiting for him back at the beginning of the lane. He had no idea where he was going but anything seemed safer than Bullworth Academy right now. What kind of hell hole had he been sent to? Coming up ahead was a small forested area next to the muddy track. Rupert decided to sit there and smoke in an effort to gather his thoughts. He pulled out his cigarettes, lit one, and laid down on the grass, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

'Way to ruin the peace and quiet.'

The sound of a familiar voice caused Rupert to sit up suddenly and drop his cigarette in surprise.

Authors Note:

This was originally published two years ago. I gave up after one chapter, and haven't been back on the site since. Just by chance I ended up here and had a reread of this story, and it's far better than I remembered. I've had some ideas for this bouncing around my head ever since, and I've got a spare couple of weeks, so I'm committing to finish it before I go back to uni (or college). New chapters will be coming out soon, so for the very few of you who will see this, watch this space.


	2. The Meeting

Zoe rose from her bed half asleep, taking a moment to yawn loudly. She hit the nearby alarm clock with far more force than necessary and paused to take in the silence. It was her first day back as a student at Bullworth since she had been expelled the year before. Rising from her bed, she began her morning ritual: a shower, getting dressed and two slices of toast with coffee. She always had her toast with butter, and it was always in that order. The past year of her life had been chaotic, and she had learnt to cherish her never changing morning. In no time at all, she was ready to leave. After lacing up her boots, Zoe left the house, taking out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. Zoe paused on her front porch, attempting to work her nearly broken lighter. She succeeded, and took her first drag of the day, allowing a short sigh of relief as the warmth of nicotine flooded her body. Once the ecstasy of her first cigarette of the day had passed, she began to walk to Bullworth Academy, deep in thought.

Zoe liked her neighbourhood best early in the morning. It was half past six, and the streets were empty. The industrial plants wouldn't be open till nine, and all the locals were either sleeping off a hangover or still high from the night before, doing god knows what in their trailers. Zoe could zone out, knowing she wouldn't be disturbed, leaving her body on autopilot to do the walk she had done a thousand times before. With nothing to concentrate on, her mind quickly began to race on the thoughts that had been keeping her up late for weeks – months even. Zoe rarely paid attention to the date during the summer, making it difficult to tell; her sense of time had been further warped by the regular insomnia and oversleeping. Her brain now fully awake, her thoughts centred around the one problem they always were – how unhappy she was. The year before, she had been unhappy, but it was easily explained. She was kicked out of school for reporting a paedophilic gym teacher, and left to live at home with an alcoholic mother who barely even knew what day it was, much less how to support her only child. Forgotten by her friends, with no father and a barely functioning mother, she had turned to the local gang made up of losers and outcasts. Drugs, violence and anonymous sex were a brilliant solution to filling the void left by the loss of her future. But it had changed now. She was back at Bullworth, back on track to make it to a decent college, and had met _him._ The constant empty feeling she had spent the last year running away from was supposed to have gone now. Zoe couldn't understand why she either spent half the night awake or slept in till 3. Why she wanted nothing more to get on a train to anywhere, just to get away from herself - from everything.

Depersonalisation had ravaged her once vibrant personality. When she was at Bullworth she knew who she was. A romantic deep at heart, covered well by a robust exterior built by years of a hellish home life. She was extremely bright, acing every test her school had pushed her way. She wanted to be someone, to go places, to make her impact on the world. Her fighting instincts and impressive toughness weren't her - they were defense mechanisms to survive on the rough side of Bullworth. She had always known as a child that she was different from all the other children that loved to fight and break the rules. Zoe was intelligent enough to act tough to fit in, to survive as just another rule breaking kid. When she was at Bullworth she knew this and could separate the tough rebellious exterior from the truth underneath. But now, she wasn't so sure. Had she acted for too long, lost touch of who she really was? Had the drug taking violent slut she had become destroyed the innocent and naive girl she was once? Or was she always that rebel, destined to live as a loser for the rest of her life, all her earlier dreams and desires just an illusion. If she really was the young woman who wanted to make it to an elite college and write for a living, why was she not happy? When Jimmy had saved her, she expected everything to be better. She was ready to treat her year as an outcast as a life experience, something to put behind her. But as she walked towards Bullworth for her final year of school, the empty feeling that had followed her ever since she had been expelled was as strong as ever.

Zoe stopped dead on the pavement. Stood halfway into greaser territory, she spoke out-loud.

"Jimmy did not fucking save me!"

The only person in earshot, a middle aged woman on the other side of the road, gave her a puzzled look mid stride. Slightly embarrassed, Zoe continued her journey. Jimmy was another problem. They had kissed at the end of the last year, and had seen each other regularly throughout the summer. He was strong and kind, but not especially funny or charming. Zoe almost felt as if she owed him something, owed him her affection for everything he did. Because of him, she was now back at school and hadn't missed a year: she was accepted into the senior year thanks to her incredible test scores. The pair had agreed to meet this morning, having not seen each other for nearly two weeks. Zoe crossed the bridge leading to Bullworth and attempted to stop her incessant thinking. She was now at the academy, and had to be alert. Even after Jimmy had pacified the school, it was not the place to enter with your guard down. The prefects were starting to make their morning rounds, so she slipped by quietly on her way to the boys dorm. Bullworth was actually a beautiful place without all the screaming violent teenagers charging around. As she opened the door to the boys lodgings a short spotty boy appeared, looking confused as to why there was a girl stood in the doorway. He opened his mouth to say something, but soon checked himself, and went about his day without questioning it. It was now 6:50, ten minutes before she had agreed to meet Jimmy, giving her the perfect opportunity to wake him up. She grabbed the nearest book and threw it at him, making him sit up in shock.

"Rise and shine Jimmy!" Zoe said laughing at Jimmy's prison like reactions. After realising it was only her, and not some suicidal boy trying his luck with the 'king', his scowl turned into a smirk.

"Listen Zoe, if you wanted to get my attention so bad you could have just gotten into bed with me." Zoe laughed and rolled her eyes.

"And that would get your attention would it?"

"Sure would," Jimmy replied "complete and undivided." Zoe shook her head, and began to move for the door.

"Get dressed, let's go do something." Zoe muttered, making her way into the common room. Jimmy, in a stereotypically male fashion, was ready within a couple of minutes. He joined Zoe on the sofa, and they both began to watch the recently fixed television.

"So how have you been?" Jimmy asked, turning his head towards Zoe.

"Oh you know, surviving," Zoe replied, flicking her hair out her face, "How about you?"

"Not bad. I've been helping Petey out with head boy things, but otherwise, life is easy when you're the king," Jimmy boasted. He knew that word irritated Zoe like no other, and he cocked his head sideways to watch her reaction. Zoe said nothing, raising one eyebrow at him. Before she could speak, he added, "And you know, you could always be my queen." Before he had even finished Zoe had hit him with a somewhat playful punch to the arm. Instinct taking over, Jimmy dived on Zoe, landing on top of her in a slightly suspect position. Before anything more could happen, a voice interrupted from the entrance.

"Jesus, I mean, your room is literally over there."

The pair bolted up. Zoe, who was dusting herself off, looked across at Pete stood in the doorway. "Trust me, it's not what you think," Zoe said, pushing Jimmy back to his original position, "I just had to teach Jimmy a lesson in manners."

"Yeah, I'm quaking in my boots over here," Jimmy replied, turning to Pete, "How's it going Petey?"

"I'm okay. What are you guys up to?" Pete asked, glancing toward the TV.

"Nothing really. Zoe, what do you want to do?" Jimmy said, clearly getting bored of staying inside.

"I need to get another lighter soon, this one's nearly broken," Zoe explained, tossing it to one side, "why don't you see if something's good on?"

Petey left to go look for the new student, leaving Jimmy and Zoe alone on the sofa. Jimmy had found a swimming channel, and was intently watching the half naked women. Zoe, bored after only 10 seconds, told Jimmy to change the channel. Before long, a play-fight had begun.

"Don't you two have lessons to go to?" A voice broke the silence, and both Zoe and Jimmy sat up.

"Hey, get off Jimmy, we've got company."

* * *

A couple of minutes after Rupert had appeared, Zoe had left the Boys Dorm to go buy a new lighter. After only a few minutes, she was bored with Jimmy. He was great for smashing up cars with, or scoring some booze to take to a beach hut, but he was no conversationalist. Zoe often thought that she wanted to like Jimmy more than she actually did. Still, for the time being, he was the closest thing she had to a best friend. By now it was less than an hour till she had to be in registration, and was just leaving the convenience store. She decided to find somewhere to sit down to smoke a cigarette and read. By now Jimmy would be pacing around the grounds, reminding everyone on the first day back who was in charge, and Pete would be busy with that English kid. Zoe decided to visit one of her favourite spots down the dirt track next to Bullworth. She had often slipped away there when skipping lessons to smoke and meet with friends. Zoe passed the now slightly busy entrance to Bullworth, ignoring the frequent looks of the former classmates who recognised her, obviously wondering what she was doing back. Marching at a quick pace to a hill halfway down the dirt road, she sat down, pulled open a book, and lit a cigarette.

Zoe was deep inside a fictional world when she first heard something. Her cigarette, long finished, now lied as a butt beside her on the grass. Coming ever closer was the sound of somebody sprinting, and Zoe stood up in anticipating. A boy raced round the corner, before buckling over, hands on knees, trying to get his breath. He was wearing a bright blue Bullworth uniform, however Zoe couldn't tell who it was. The boy sat down on the opposite side of the small forested area she was sat. She could hear him light a cigarette.

"Way to ruin the peace and quiet" She said, judging him to not be a threat. The boy looked up in surprise, revealing himself as the English boy she had ran into earlier. "Didn't see you there. What are you doing here?" he asked, watching Zoe walk over to where he was sat. She sat down on the opposite hill facing him. His face was a flushed red, and he had fighting marks all over him. Zoe let out a laugh, and said, "that didn't take you long." She gestured towards his face, and asked, "how did that happen?"

"Some fuckers jumped me. I managed to get them back alright but I think I might have hit a prefect." Rupert explained, trying to act casual but showing his fear with his voice. Zoe's eyebrows went up, showing some amazement.

"I actually think you might have broken the record there. An hour in and you've already nailed a prefect. Nice one ..." Zoe's voice trailed off as she racked her brain for his name, "err, Robert?"

"Rupert. But I prefer Finchy."

"Ah. Rupert it is then." Zoe, said grinning. "So did you lose them?"

"They actually gave up quite easily." Rupert explained, releasing they gave up their chase far sooner than he had expected. "Do you think I'm in deep shit?"

"This place is crazy. If they don't catch you at the time, they probably never will." Zoe replied, laughing at Rupert's newness. "Give it a week, and you'll be used to the constant violence."

Rupert had a look of concern on his face, but decided to change the subject, "So you're Zoe right?"

"Sure am. Nice to meet ya Rupert." Zoe said, smiling at his reaction to the name.

"It's Finchy." Rupert insisted.

"Listen, you can be Rupert, or you can be Limey. But I'm not calling someone a name as stupid as Finchy." Zoe teased, enjoying the opportunity to speak to someone newer than herself. Rupert smiled at her.

"Alright ginge, Rupert it is. So what are you doing out here?" Rupert asked, testing the waters with this nickname. As expected, Zoe was having none of it.

"Call me ginge one more time and the prefects will be the last of your troubles." Zoe threatened, squaring up to the new kid. As she stood in front of Rupert, she felt a weird sensation. He was smirking at her in a non threatening way, eyes fixed on her own. For the first time Zoe had a proper look at Rupert. He was tall, fair haired and quite handsome. Not exactly model material, but he possessed an extra something special, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. They stood face to face for what felt like minutes but what couldn't of been more than ten seconds. Zoe, now trying to suppress blushing, moved away. Rupert decided to break the silence, sitting on the grass by him.

"Don't worry. You don't seem like the kind of girl I should be messing with." He said, retaking his seat on the grass. They sat in silence for a few moments, Rupert finishing a cigarette and Zoe fumbling around with her bag and a book. After stubbing his smoke out, Rupert commented on her book.

"Is that a book on the British romantics? Keats and Burns and all that?" He asked, having seen half of the front cover.

"It's for my English class." Zoe said bluntly.

"Have classes started already?" Rupert asked.

"No, but I know what will be on the course." Zoe explained, moving her bag next to her. Years at Bullworth had taught her to not admit to actually enjoying anything remotely 'nerdy'.

"I don't know too much about poetry," Rupert explained, rubbing his head, "I do like that Ode to a Mouse poem though, I think that's Burns." Rupert scratched his head, trying to remember some verse. It had been some time since he had read any.

"The best laid schemes, o' mice and men..." Rupert trailed off.

"Often go awry." Zoe finished, "I've just read that one."

"No that's not it, it's in Scotts..." Rupert said, finally remembering, "Gang aft agley."

"That's not what it says in mine." Zoe said, continuing, "The Scottish have their own language?"

"Not anymore, but they used to, sort of." Rupert explained, "I'm not sure if it actually counted as a language or just a dialect."

Zoe said nothing, but was quietly impressed by his willingness to talk about something serious. She knew it would no doubt get him into trouble, branded as a nerd and a loser, but she couldn't help but admire him for it. He didn't know that much, but at least he tried. Zoe decided to help him.

"You do realise if you go around talking about poetry you're going to get your ass kicked, right?"

Rupert nodded his head, the corner of his mouth lifting up into a wry smile.

"I'm not exactly going to go around talking about poetry y'know," he replied laughing, "I've already run out of things to say about it. Rupert cleared his throat and tested his luck, "Besides, you're the only poetry buff around this place."

Zoe looked at him with a scowl on her face, "I am not a poetry buff! It's for a class." She insisted. Rupert laughed at her frustration, earning him another mean stare. Despite giving him a look that if looks could kill would certainly do so, Rupert kept his slight smile and direct eye contact. Once again, Zoe found herself dropping her frown and felt unable to do anything but return his look. Unlike last time, she looked away quickly, soon changing the conversation.

"So how did you end up in America? You're a Brit, right?"

"Yeah, it's a long story." Rupert said, brushing the subject to one side. "I'm only here for a bit anyway. One year of this and then I'll go to university in England."

"So you're in your senior year," Zoe thought outloud, receiving a nod from Rupert, "me too."

"Oh nice. Good to know I've already made a friend to sit next to in classes." Rupert said, smiling at Zoe. She giggled uncharacteristically, and rebuffed him.

"I'm not sure about friend yet, try acquaintance." Zoe stood up, gesturing Rupert to do the same.

"Come on Limey, let's go to the hall. We need to go register for classes."

The two collected their belongings and began to walk back towards the school. It was a beautiful morning, and the pair were both in good spirits.

 **A/N:**

 **Not sure if there are any of you out there, but I think I'm going to finish this story anyway. I can already see where it will go, and if you pay attention to this chapter, you might be able to figure it out too. It's been 2 years since I wrote the first chapter, but I promise the next one will be far sooner (definitely within the next week).**

 **So please review to let me know you're reading. Not that you have to say much, just a hi to let me know you're there! If one person enjoys this, then it will be worth it.**

 **Until next time, take care.**

 **\- MJR.**


End file.
